Agriculture to suit Water Availability

The farm that Subhadra has in Pandutalav has a limited supply of water from a borewell. So she has customised her Rabi sowing to suit this lesser water availability. Not only have the seeds of wheat, linseed, masoor and gram been sown at one feet distance from each other, watering is also being done through a small pipe only at the roots of the plants in limited quantities. This has resulted in more tillering in the case of wheat and more robust growth in the case of the other crops. Since the plants are at a distance from each other, there is space for a bicycle hoe to be driven between them for turning the soil and killing the weeds as shown in the picture below. In the background are perennial redgram plants around the borewell which are also minimally watered so as to ensure that they produce redgram throughout the year for use as vegetables.

This was followed by weeding around the plants and then a special organic fertiliser called Jeevamrit Ghol was applied. This fertiliser is prepared by fermenting a combination of cow dung, cow urine, gram flour and jaggery and then diluting it and applying it to the roots of the plants.
These processes require more labour but they produce more wholesome food with a lesser amount of water. Unfortunately there is no support from the Government for this kind of agriculture and so farmers in general are not prepared to adopt it. Subhadra can do this kind of agriculture as mentioned earlier because she can cross subsidise it from her earnings elsewhere. Its indeed a pity that given the serious problems of water scarcity, mal nourishment, illness due to pesticide and chemical fertiliser infested crops, soil, water and air and the looming crisis of climate change, the Government does not see it fit to support a switch to a more sustainable agricultural regime.